16th person dies from deadly virus in South Korea

June 15, 2015 5:21 PM

The country’s latest MERS victim was a 58-year-old male patient who succumbed to the respiratory virus while being treated at a local hospital.

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The deadly Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) has claimed its 16th victim in South Korea as public-health officials confirmed that another individual died this morning (Monday).

South Korean news agency Yonhap reports that the country’s latest MERS victim was a 58-year-old male patient who succumbed to the respiratory virus while being treated at a local hospital.

150 people have now been diagnosed with the fatal disease with at least 17 of them reported to be in an “unstable condition.”

Authorities have placed over 5,200 people nationwide under isolation to impede the transmission of the virus, while officials said thousands more may be quarantined in the coming days.

Over the weekend, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced plans to hold emergency talks on Tuesday to address the outbreak.

The global health body described the outbreak as both “large and complex” and warned that the virus would most likely continue to spread.

However, officials said the disease does not appear to have mutated.

In the meantime, thousands of schools across South Korea were set to reopen their doors this week after being shut earlier this month, although at least 440 schools will remain closed.

In the same vein, South Korean President Park Geun-hye called on her fellow citizens and industry leaders to return to business as usual to prevent the country’s economy from taking a further battering.

Meanwhile, today, the office of the Nigerian National Security Adviser today issued an alert over the deadly MERS virus asking the Federal Ministry of Health to activate the response plan and procedure to deal with an eventual outbreak.